1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the electrical connection between a main body and the flipping or folding part of a portable communication device.
2. Prior Art
Mobile phones often employ a multipart housing, which folds or uses a flip. Electrical or electronic components are generally located in each part of the housing. In folding or flipping mobile phones, the transceiver housing and the folding or flipping part are conventionally electrically connected to each other with a flex or other type of cable which needs to be threaded through the hinge connecting the respective parts.
Examples of such multipart housings may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,772 to Metroka et al,; U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,873 to Beutler et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,446 to Ozouf et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,082 to Laine; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,797 to Leman et al. The aforenoted patents are specifically incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Using flex or other types of cable to connect the respective parts of a multipart housing makes the hinge design comparatively large, complex and expensive to manufacture. Such an approach is inherently less reliable than the use of an electrical connector since the repetitive flexing of the cable can cause failure due to bending fatigue.